The red string of fate
by amal-rukia
Summary: Finé and Izetta are inseparable. That's what anyone who knew them would say. Their friendship seemed strange to others. Finé was born in a wealthy family, she was popular and outgoing, and a bit of a tomboy but no one would actually say it to her face. Izetta on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She was shy and a bit of an introvert. It's like they say, opposites attract.


**I haven't written fanfiction in a while, so it feels weird to do write one after getting so used to my own characters. But here's something to end the year with! I fell in love with this anime, and with Finé and Izetta, and after seeing a fanart on tumblr, I wanted to write this AU! Happy new year!**

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Finé and Izetta are inseparable.

That's what anyone who knew them would say. Their friendship seemed strange to others. Finé was born in a wealthy family, she was popular and outgoing, and a bit of a tomboy but no one would actually say it to her face. Izetta on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She was shy and a bit of an introvert, and it didn't help that she was poor, always working part time jobs to help her grandmother.

It's like they say, opposite attract.

Their friendship actually started when they were children. Izetta has always been an easy target for bullies, the kids would pick on her when no one was around, until one day, a girl stood up for her. Izetta never saw her before, or perhaps she never paid enough attention to her classmates due to her always moving with her grandmother.

"Why are you all bullying this girl?!" Aren't you ashamed?" The girl said with enough force that made the other kids flinch. She had such a strong presence that it was impossible for them to tear their eyes off of her.

Whatever she said went unheard by the redhead. She was too stunned to focus on anything but the sight of the girl protecting her. The blonde girl turned to her and helped her get on her feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah."

"My name is Finé! You're Izetta, right?" Finé said and her voice was like music to Izetta's ears. Her long golden hair, her whole appearance was enchanting. She was sure that if she was born in older times, she would have been a princess.

"How do you know my name?" Izetta asked, confused. She made sure not to stand out too much.

"We're in the same class." Finé giggled as if the answer was obvious. "I usually go home right away, but I forgot something and came back. I promise you they won't bother you again." She reached her hand for Izetta to take, and with the welcoming smile on the blonde's lips, Izetta had a feeling that she would keep that promise.

Izetta never expected to like someone so much, she has always been distant from other kids so she wouldn't miss them when she'd move, but when she met Finé, she begged her grandmother to stay in town, she never asked anything from her, so her request came out surprising.

That was how they became best friends, and they have been inseparable since then. They would get into trouble all the time (mostly it was Finé's fault, she truly was a tomboy), get scolded by their teachers then laugh about it later, and they were both overprotective of each other, so much that Izetta, who never had the courage to defend herself would literally fight anyone who would badmouth the blonde. Everyone was scared of Izetta for weeks and Finé didn't stop teasing her about it.

Finé always made her feel special, loved and welcomed, she was warm, unlike everything cold she knew before, the loneliness she had to feel.

She made her feel so much more, and she didn't realize that until few years later when they were in high school. It was strange, understanding a feeling she has been experiencing for few years with a simple look. She just looked at Finé one day, and everything felt different, her heart beats would race every time their eyes met, her skin would burn every time they touched, and she really couldn't stop thinking about how gorgeous her best friend was.

The way she felt anxious whenever someone asked her out confirmed her feelings, but she couldn't do anything about it. How would Finé react if she told her? She knew she was too kind but it would still make things awkward between them.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a lavender scarf been wrapped around her neck, she turned to see Finé tightening it around her with a warm smile. "You're spacing out again." Finé stated, and she noticed that the redhead was going to protest about the scarf so she added. "You look cold, keep it."

Izetta knew better than to argue with her, so she moved closer to her, hoping to share some warmth. She knew Finé was feeling cold but was acting like it didn't bother her. They sat on a bench after finally finishing classes, the redhead always felt uncomfortable whenever she had to sit through Elvira's class, it's not that she hated the woman, but sometimes she could be a bit… extreme…

"Is that another confession?" Izetta asked as she looked at the letter in her friend's hand.

"I wish the letters could stop, if someone has something to say to me, I'd rather it be in my face, not on paper." Finé complained as she eyed the envelope. "It's not like I'll accept it anyway."

"Finé, I think you rejected the whole school at this point."

"And yet, Henry wouldn't take the hint and stop asking me out." Finé scoffed causing the redhead to giggle. "Besides, why would I want to date anyone when I have you?" She said, turning to her, and Izetta's heart was about to stop.

Their faces were too close and her mind went blank. She couldn't do anything but freeze and blush at her crush's closeness and words.

A cough surprised them from behind, and Izetta turned to see the miracle that just saved her from embarrassing herself for life. That 'miracle' was none other than Bianca, Finé's personal body guard. The redhead smiled at her and the latter gave her a knowing look. Bianca found out about Izetta's feelings (actually she MADE her fess up because she has been acting awkwardly around the blonde and the bodyguard did not like that).

"Miss Finé, perhaps we should go, your dancing class will start in half an hour." Bianca said. "And please don't cause Izetta a heart attack. That would be troublesome."

Izetta was sure that her face became as red as her hair.

She was about to take scarf off, but Finé stopped her.

"You can keep it, it's cold." She said.

"But…"

"You're going for work now, right? I bet it will get colder at night, so wear to keep warm. Besides…" Finé paused and moved closer to her friend before whispering. "It looks better on you." She smiled then left with Bianca.

Izetta watched them go, and pulled up the scarf slightly, to cover herself from the cold, and she couldn't help but smell her best friend's perfume on it and it managed to make her feel relaxed. It was amazing how the blonde could give her a heart attack sometimes, and other times she'd make her feel calm and safe.

Because she lived with her grandmother, she tried to take as many part times as she could to help her guardian. Izetta did have other relatives, but her grandmother ended up taking care of her, and she didn't mind, the old woman might not be the warmest person, but she was accepting of her.

It was strange, having Finé, the rich and popular girl as her best friend, but the blonde never made feel the gap between their lives, and she never brought up her situation. She did however take care of her in subtle ways, like bringing an extra lunch and trying to find an excuse for it, and sharing it with her on the days when she'd be short on money. She loved the little things Finé did for her.

And with that final thought, she headed to work.

After few hours, she headed home, exhausted, and not ready for the pile of homework waiting for her. She sat at her desk, and let out a deep sigh upon looking at all the work she had to do. She decided to push her tiredness away and start working, she never liked delayed her work, it'd always make her feel guilty.

She almost jumped when she heard her phone beep, indicating that she received a message. She smiled once she read it:

 _Did you go back home safely?_

She typed a quick reply to her best friend. Once the conversation started, it kept going for a while, it was almost as if Finé _sensed_ her need for a distraction and a break. Izetta was too focused on the conversation that she didn't notice someone walking into her room.

The person coughed and the clumsy redhead almost let her phone fall due to her jumping in surprise.

"How long have you been here?" Izetta asked Sophie, who stood at the door, amused, with a cup in her hand.

Sophie was her older cousin, she started living here a while ago because it was near college, she didn't have the best relationship with their grandmother, but as long as she didn't bother anyone and paid for her food and clothes, she was welcome.

Actually, Izetta was sure that the white haired girl never got along with anyone, except for her. It was also a miracle that she liked Finé too.

"Long enough." She answered with a smirk as she handed her a cup of hot chocolate. "I came to check on you because you looked like a zombie earlier. Is that your girlfriend you're texting, Iz?"

Izetta was pretty sure she became many different shades of red at the word 'girlfriend', even Sophie looked impressed.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Izetta stuttered, avoiding her cousin's gaze. Sophie just raised an eyebrow, making the redhead blush. "Am I that obvious?"

"Yes."

"What should I do?" She wondered and gave the white haired girl a questioning look, the latter just shrugged, and after few minutes, an idea popped into Izetta's head, and she turned to her cousin. "Sophie, could you help me with something?"

The next morning, Izetta could hardly open her eyes. She pulled an all-nighter, working on something, and because of that, she take two steps without having to cling to her best friend's arm for support.

"What did you do for the whole night?" Finé asked, and held the redhead's hand to make sure she doesn't walk into something, or someone. She couldn't help but smile, Izetta has always been a hard worker, she wished she would give herself a break every now and then, but she would be lying if she said she didn't love that side of her.

And she did look cute trying to fight off sleep, so she couldn't complain.

"I was working on something…" Izetta started before yawning, she was so tired that she didn't even notice their hands interlocked.

"Does that something explain the cut on your finger?" Finé asked, as she raised their hands to show her the injury. Izetta blinked and looked at her head in confusion, she must have been too focused or tired that she didn't notice it. Finé shook her head, aware of how careless her friend was, and brought up the redhead's hand to her mouth, kissing the cut.

Izetta gasped, and blushed at the action. Her throat was dry, and she couldn't say anything. Bianca was right, Finé would eventually cause her a heart attack.

"You should be a little more careful, Izetta." The blonde said, and without separating their hands, reached to her bag and pulled a band aid to put it on the cut. She then looked at Izetta who was staring at her with a blank expression. "W-what?" Finé would never ever stutter, but that reaction caught her off guard. The redhead didn't respond, making the blonde blush.

"Finé." Izetta's response came after few minutes.

"Yes…?"

"We missed class."

Finé blinked, then checked her phone for time, and yes, they did miss class. The blonde's eyes wandered between the phone and her friend, as if she didn't know what to make of what just happened. She laughed and Izetta smiled before joining in, and tightening the grip on her friend's hand.

Since they missed class, they ended up going to a nearby café. Izetta welcomed the taste of coffee after a sleepless night, she wondered if she could survive the day.

"It really does look better on you." Finé commented, at the sight of her own scarf wrapped around the redhead's neck.

"It reminds me of your eyes." Izetta said, then blushed at her own words, she made a mental note to not hang out with her best friend while lacking sleep. When she saw the confusion on Finé's face, she decided to explain herself better. "It's the same color as your eyes, so, when I wear it, it's almost as if you're with me. Does that make sense?" She covered her face with scarf, hoping it would make her blush less visible.

"In that case, I want you to keep it, so I can always be with you." Finé said as she brushed a strand of Izetta's red hair behind her ear.

Few days have passed, and Izetta finished working on her 'secret project' as Sophie would call it, but it did however cause many cuts on her hand. It was a mess, really, but it was worth it.

She went to school like any other day, and everything went fine, until Lotte said something she shouldn't have at lunch.

"Is it true?" Lotte asked the blonde, who looked back at her confused.

"What?" Finé asked, before taking a bite from her food.

"Henry told everyone that you rejected him because you were interested in someone else!" Lotte said making the blonde cough and drink water to recover from the shock.

Izetta froze. She was sure she felt her heart break into pieces.

"I told him that so he would leave me alone!" Finé said. "I'm not interested in anyone!"

Izetta detected the lie immediately, she knew Finé better than anyone. She stood up, surprising both girls.

"Izetta?" Finé looked at her, questioning.

She just smiled at them both and lied. "I just remembered that I had something to do. Sorry, I have to go." She walked away as fast as she could, because she knew that her best friend would read through her lie too.

She reached an empty hallway, before stopping at the calling of her name.

"Izetta!" Finé called out for her, as she ran to catch up to her. She stopped, panting, then looked at her, with concern. Izetta felt guilty, she couldn't feel happy for her, and on top of that she made her worry. How selfish could she be?

"What's wrong?" Finé asked. "Does it have something to do with what Lotte said?"

Izetta remained silent, knowing that anything she would say wouldn't convince the blonde.

"The one I like is…" Finé started, her gaze never leaving her, but Izetta interrupted her.

She couldn't deal with this, she just couldn't. Not right now, maybe not even in a thousand year.

"You don't have to tell me." Izetta said with a forced smile. "And we can talk about this later… I really need to go now." She excused herself before she could see the hurt on Finé's eyes.

The moment she reached her home, she threw her bag on the floor and jumped into her bed, crying, and not answering Sophie's questions.

Sophie comforted her as she cried herself to sleep. Why did she have to fall for Finé? Why did she have to when she knew they could never be together? When she knew that Finé would never love her?

How could someone cause her so much happiness, and so much pain at the same time?

The questions weren't answered, as she slept for hours. When she woke up, she found out it was about 6pm. She sighed, and checked her phone.

She received about 20 messages and 30 missing calls. They were all from Finé.

She felt guilty for the way she acted earlier, Finé didn't deserve that.

She heard a knock on her door, before it was opened by Sophie.

"Do you feel better now, Iz?" She asked as she walked towards her and sat on the bed beside her.

"I'm fine, I guess." Izetta answered, although she knew she would never be fine.

"Your girlfriend is outside by the way." Sophie said and Izetta turned to her surprised. She had already pressed it the calling button, which led to her hearing a familiar phone ring.

She opened the window and looked outside, to see Finé almost dropping her phone. She then looked up to see the redhead staring at her, almost amused.

"Finé, what are you doing?"

Finé smiled sheepishly. "I was going to throw a rock at your window to get your attention."

"Finé, you could just ring the doorbell."

"I didn't want to bother anyone!"

"We have phones for that!"

"But this way more romantic, right?"

"Oh my god! Can't you two just get a room already?!" Sophie complained.

Izetta finally let Finé inside, because the blonde was freezing. She had a feeling that if she didn't answer her through the window earlier, she would have just climbed to it.

They both sat on the bed, and Finé was drinking some hot chocolate that Izetta made her, since she almost froze herself just to come and talk to her.

"Are you okay?" Finé finally asked. "I wanted to give you some space, but you weren't answering my calls and… I was worried."

"I'm sorry." Izetta apologized. That was all she could say, and she didn't feel like talking about what happened, so she decided to change the subject. "The thing I was working on is done, would you like to see it?"

She smiled when the blonde nodded, and walked towards a bag lying on the floor, pulling a red scarf from it. Finé put the cup on the desk and followed her.

Izetta turned to her, and she suddenly felt nervous, but decided to do it anyway.

"You gave me your scarf, and like I said It reminded me of you, so I thought I could do the same and make one that would remind you of me…" Izetta explained, and felt the heat reaching her face. "I'm not too good at sewing, so I asked Sophie to help me. I know you could buy any scarf you want, but I really wanted to make you something." She confessed.

Finé took the scarf, and ran her finger on it, feeling its fabric. This was what caused her best friend many sleepless nights. She had to go through school and homework, work part time jobs, and on top of that she spent many nights sewing the scarf. The lavender eyes looked at the cuts on Izetta's hands.

Finé felt overwhelmed. Nothing she could ever buy could compare to this scarf. The scarf that the redhead poured so many love into.

"Thank you, I love it." She said in a soft tone, that she only used with Izetta. "I love you, Izetta."

"I love you too." Izetta said, smiling, happy that her gift was good enough.

Finé then shook her head. "No." She said. " _I love you_." She said again, and this time, she made sure it sounded the way she wanted it to.

Izetta's eyes widened as she finally understood what the blonde meant. She felt the tears coming, so she wrapped her arm around her best friend, and hid her head in her shoulder, trying to hide it.

"Is… that why you rejected everyone?" Izetta asked, trembling. She tried to calm herself, but she was sure the blonde could feel the loud beating of her heart.

Finé nodded, and hugged her, pulling her closer. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Wait, does that mean you have been flirting with me all this time?"

"Yes, thank you for finally noticing."

They both laughed, and Izetta pulled away, with the brightest smile she ever wore.

"I love you too, Finé."

Finé beamed, then wrapped the red scarf around both of them, before pulling Izetta into a kiss.

They kissed, ignoring Sophie who yelled 'finally!' after spying on them from behind the door.


End file.
